Heather's Log: Quest For Weight Loss, Energy, And Longevity

[gnosisphoenix]

Been Peatish for roughly a week now, after dabbling for short stints previously. Spent about 5 years mostly Paleo, with bouts of low carb and keto.

Female, athletic, CW 176lb, HW 230lb, GW 140 lb.

Eliminating all supps as a control, slowly adding some back in later to see if they improve progress.

Current diet will be VERY limited:
Raw milk
Raw honey
Organic sugar
Organic fresh or frozen fruits
Organic fruit juices
Coconut oil (very limited)
Butter (very limited)
Shrimp
Sushi rice (plain)
Nori wraps
Hydrolyzed collagen powder
Coffee

I'm open to suggestions on things to add/remove. I may be cooking my rice in fresh bone broth when available.

I'll be working out at least 3 times per week, lifting weights, yoga, limited cardio.

Aiming for 8 hours of sleep each night, but one of my issues is difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.

Progress will be posted in this thread only, though if something makes a groundbreaking difference, I'll post it in the appropriate board.

 

[encerent]

Since your goal is to lose weight, maybe drop the starch and butter?

 

[EIRE24]

Since your goal is to lose weight, maybe drop the starch and butter?

Drop the butter maybe, don't think the starch is going to affect weight loss in my opinion. I eat lots of starch and am lean as!

 

[gnosisphoenix]

I also forgot to mention eggs, pretty sure I'd spontaneously combust if I excluded eggs. I'm only using just enough fat to cook in, though I'm probably going to use coconut oil in most cases instead of butter.

Good to know another starch eater who can keep a healthy body comp!

As of this morning I'm 173 lb, and while it may be coincidence, I'm taking it as a good sign

 

[Nova]

Been Peatish for roughly a week now, after dabbling for short stints previously. Spent about 5 years mostly Paleo, with bouts of low carb and keto.

Female, athletic, CW 176lb, HW 230lb, GW 140 lb.

Eliminating all supps as a control, slowly adding some back in later to see if they improve progress.

Current diet will be VERY limited:
Raw milk
Raw honey
Organic sugar
Organic fresh or frozen fruits
Organic fruit juices
Coconut oil (very limited)
Butter (very limited)
Shrimp
Sushi rice (plain)
Nori wraps
Hydrolyzed collagen powder
Coffee

I'm open to suggestions on things to add/remove. I may be cooking my rice in fresh bone broth when available.

I'll be working out at least 3 times per week, lifting weights, yoga, limited cardio.

Aiming for 8 hours of sleep each night, but one of my issues is difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.

Progress will be posted in this thread only, though if something makes a groundbreaking difference, I'll post it in the appropriate board.

Seems like a solid plan to me. Are you counting kcals or tracking macros?

I've lost a considerable amount of weight during my adventure into Peatland these last 6 months. When I first started out, I was really strict on fat consumption. As in, zero most days. I did that for like 4 months and that ended up being not-so-good for me. I think that you kinda have to pick a goal, PUFA depletion or weight loss. If it's just about losing weight, then the diet specifics don't really matter as much as kcal in, kcal out and accurate macro tracking. If it's about PUFA depletion, then cutting dietary fat will help but only if you combine it with supplements to help the process along. Otherwise, dreaded detox demons will visit you. Or at least that was my experience.

All of that is JMHO, though. Keep rockin' what works for you.

 

[gnosisphoenix]

Thanks Nova, that's pretty encouraging :)

Right now my goal is only fat loss. My pufas have been pretty low for a while, my biggest sin there is regular mayo, which I gave up a few months ago in favor of making my own with avo oil.

I'm counting kcals with cronometer, and added a few of my own recipes in already too. Keeping to 1600-1800, based on having an active job and also working out 3ish times a week.

Lunch at work has been one of my biggest stumbling blocks. Fortunately I have a mini crock pot I can set up in the break room and have hot food (rice) instead of my usual pulled pork or lunchmeat and cheese. Some cucumber and carrot sticks (cut up whole adult carrots) will round it out nicely.

 

[Nova]

Cronomnometer! That's what I call Cronometer.

Anyway, I lost ~70lbs in 5 months. I don't think that my weight loss had anything to do with Peating though. It was mostly because I wasn't eating much of anything there for awhile. I got caught up in the whole "OMG! FAT IS EVILLLL!" mindset and got to a point where I just didn't want to eat.

Just now getting over that, these last few weeks. I've lost 10lbs since then, so I must be doing something right...I hope.

Eh, there's no easy way to find out how much PUFA we are harboring. You probably have some, even if you weren't eating a lot of high PUFA stuff before. But it's probably not the end of the world. Peat says it can take 4 years to deplete PUFAs. People on the forums say "No, it can *probably* be done in 30 days!" and others say "Well, it takes some time...." No real consensus, IMO.

My theory is the more fat you have, the longer it's going to take. For me, it's going to be years, maybe even never to deplete. For you, maybe not so long. You could be in the 30 day-ish camp if it were a deep goal for you, maybe.

I love rice. Big fan of Jasmine rice. My favorite breakfast here lately is tamago gohan (raw egg over rice). I usually make it with jasmine even though it is traditionally made with short grain rice. Simple and quick. Ramen is my go to lunch. I buy the fancy rice noodle kind and throw out the seasoning packet. I use chicken stock or veggie stock with generous amounts of rooster sauce, ginger and garlic to give it some extra flavor. Add some mango to the party, some shrimp or chicken, and a soft boiled egg on top. Sometimes some nori flakes. Taste explosion!

 

[gnosisphoenix]

I love Japanese food, your tamago gohan reminded me of a video of an omelet being split over a bed of rice...OMG I need to eat it! I've been doing a lot of faker sushi, just warm unseasoned rice wrapped up in half a nori sheet...easy and fast! That's where the cucumber and carrot come in, because just rice and nori will get boring fast. It'll sortof be like Cali rolls. I've never truly made tamago gohan at home, though I buy rice at Costco so I have plenty, and the rest of the recipe is easy peasy. Stop making me hungry!! (No don't, it's good inspiration for food choices)

Super congrats on losing that weight, good for you! My brain finds it easier to do an all-or-nothing approach, so letting myself be fat phobic for a little while is totally acceptable. I used to be carb phobic, so it's a nice switch. I'm finding it easier...after a couple of days now, anyway. And I feel more satisfied after eating too. And if staying away from more fat clears out more PUFA, well, all the better! I'm sure I do have plenty stored up, from my upbringing then all the other fats in keto foods. All the nuts!!!

As far as progress goes, today was spot on except for dinner, since I have a man to feed. There was rice...and tomato sauce with chopped mushrooms and celery cooked in coconut oil, along with ground beef cooked in butter. The beef and butter in my opinion had more fat than I wanted. But it was delicious. So, it's a process.

 

[Nova]

I love Asian food in general. It's one genre of food that I am adept at cooking. Also, I freakin' love rice.

Have you ever fried rice in coconut oil? Get it really crispy on the outside, slightly brown. I steam it first, make sure it's really dry before dropping it in hot oil. Add some veggies or mushrooms to the pan if you're aiming for stir fry or omelet-ness. That makes a bomb base for an epic fritata. Pour those well-beaten eggs over the crisping rice. If you're good at omeleting, you can try to fold it. Or you can just eat it as is. I make mine kinda thick so I can cut it like pizza. Travels well, good for lunching. Maybe too much fat though. ETA: This only works for a thin layer of rice. If it's too thick, the egg won't get to the bottom and it will be a big mess.

Tamago gohan has a texture. When I make it the quick lazy way, it has a rice pudding-like texture. Not as heavy, or as smooth...but similar. If I take some time and stir it with chopsticks, it has a more palatable texture, IMO. Also, use good eggs. Farm fresh or close to it. It's one of those things that really makes a difference. The yolks from budget eggs don't break down the same.

I like sushi but not Cali rolls. I like the "meatier" ones that have whole shrimp or big pieces of some PUFAful fish, lol. And the extras. Lots of wasabi. Lots of pickled ginger. Maybe some kimchi. Japanese kimchi is not really my thing though. Too bitter for me. I prefer Korean style, spicier.

Thanks for the congrats. :)

I did well on low fat/no fat for about 3 months. I hit a wall about 10 weeks in and pretty much flipped ***t around the time I started posting here. Took me over a month to figure out that I wasn't in a good dietary place and I needed to make some changes. I think that it is probably good to allow yourself occasional breaks from being fat-phobic. Ice cream is awesome.

 

[HLP]

How tall are you? I love sushi with lots of wasabi too but am off starches right now. I increased my sugar intake quite a bit and slept ten hours straight a few nights ago. I really think quality sleep helps a lot.

 

[gnosisphoenix]

How tall are you? I love sushi with lots of wasabi too but am off starches right now. I increased my sugar intake quite a bit and slept ten hours straight a few nights ago. I really think quality sleep helps a lot.

I am looking forward to the increase in my quality of sleep. It's been getting better slowly, but noticeably. Next is making sure I budget enough time to sleep at night, none of this 6 hours before I have to get up early for work crap, lol.

I'm 5'7" :)

 

[DaveFoster]

my biggest sin there is regular mayo

The deadliest sin of mankind. Try MCT oil.

 

[gnosisphoenix]

The deadliest sin of mankind. Try MCT oil.

I'm a big fan of MCT oil, just out of it right now.

So, maybe you can help me wrap my mind around this. I learned about MCT when I was doing keto, and understood it from the perspective of helping to get the body into ketosis by producing and using ketones more efficiently. I haven't revisited my research since I dropped low carb, which means I have some gaps in my knowledge. When doing a Peaty approach full of sugars, could you explain the mechanism by which it aids metabolism and weight loss? (I'm not doubting you. I just want better understanding.)

 

[DaveFoster]

I'm a big fan of MCT oil, just out of it right now.

So, maybe you can help me wrap my mind around this. I learned about MCT when I was doing keto, and understood it from the perspective of helping to get the body into ketosis by producing and using ketones more efficiently. I haven't revisited my research since I dropped low carb, which means I have some gaps in my knowledge. When doing a Peaty approach full of sugars, could you explain the mechanism by which it aids metabolism and weight loss? (I'm not doubting you. I just want better understanding.)

Saturated fats are pro-metabolic, and they displace polyunsaturated fats temporarily.

Ketones themselves have a whole host of benefits, and coconut oil happens to be a good source of ketones. Ketogenic adaptation involves various changes throughout the body, many of which are stressful. Ketogenesis is a very complex secondary energy pathway.

Dr. Peat says that the manufacturing of ketones stresses the body, but the ketones themselves serves as a valuable energy source, particularly for nerve cells.

Most that applies to MCT oil also applies to coconut oil, as the latter contains the former:

Coconut Oil

MCT's specifically have some isolated thermogenic advantages over other types of fats; I wrote a bit on it a while back, but it's been a while.

 

[gnosisphoenix]

Saturated fats are pro-metabolic, and they displace polyunsaturated fats temporarily.

Ketones themselves have a whole host of benefits, and coconut oil happens to be a good source of ketones. Ketogenic adaptation involves various changes throughout the body, many of which are stressful. Ketogenesis is a very complex secondary energy pathway.

Dr. Peat says that the manufacturing of ketones stresses the body, but the ketones themselves serves as a valuable energy source, particularly for nerve cells.

Most that applies to MCT oil also applies to coconut oil, as the latter contains the former:

Coconut Oil

Thank you!! That makes sense.

 

[gnosisphoenix]

Just for accountability. Today was not a spot on day. Mostly because of the truffles in my car that made me feel better after work.